«Mussolini was a lucky loser, who found himself in the right place at the right time. M-The son of the century he says this very well.” The historian Francesco Filippi refers to the book of Antonio Scurati, waiting to also see the series broadcast from tonight on Sky. «The idea of Mussolini having a precise plan from the beginning and thanks to his incredible skill being able to subjugate an entire people is totally false. In his rise to power he suffered bitter defeats and was mocked by them elite who saw in him a parvenu Romagna».
This narrative is important «because it dismantles the idea of the inevitability of fascism, of a fascism inherent in the history of Italy. An idea fueled primarily by fascists. It didn’t happen like this: Italy became fascist because elitefrom the monarchy to a good part of the liberal political forces who supported him in his first experience of government, thought of using Mussolini as a taxi to stem the danger represented by the socialists. It was a tragic error of underestimation, not an inevitable outcome.”
In the series there is a very significant scene on the ambiguity, or perhaps it would be better to say the cynicism, of the future Duce. He, who proclaimed himself a socialist until the end of his days, seems to be scandalized by his right-hand man Cesarino Rossi for the violence committed by the squadristi against workers and labourers. At which Rossi empties a suitcase full of money in front of him, evidently coming from those who benefited from that violence, and Mussolini smiles smugly. «I agree with Umberto Eco who said that fascism, more than an ideology, is a rhetoric based on the myth of the strong man, on the idea that coup de main is always preferable to dialogue. In other words, a system to maintain power”, adds Filippi. «Mussolini and his men have said and done everything and the opposite of everything in over twenty years. When at the beginning it was necessary to fight to get to power, Mussolini made use of the squadristi. Which he then got rid of when, after the Matteotti crime, they could have harmed the power he had acquired. From this point of view, he is a precursor of many politicians today who do not act based on ideals, but on polls and “likes” on social media.”
